As we get ready for the ‘Hell of the North’ this weekend, we have a full EUROTRASH Thursday. Video action from the Itzulia Basque Country and the men’s and women’s Scheldeprijs, all with results, reports and rider quotes.
TOP STORY:
- Bernard Hinault is thrilled that Tadej Pogačar is starting Paris-Roubaix: “Of course he can win!”
Rider news:
- “We are waiting for you”: Tadej Pogačar booed when arriving late at tennis tournament
- Elisa Longo Borghini suffered concussion in Flanders crash
- Former pro Yoann Offredo may go blind within two years
- Remco Evenepoel rides an extra race in the run-up to the Tour de France
- Chris Froome and Urska Zigart ‘terrorised’ by aggressive driver
- John Degenkolb injured in the Tour of Flanders
- Former Cofidis pro, Stéphane Krafft, died during Tour of Flanders Gran Fondo
Team news:
- UAE Emirates-XRG squad announced for Paris-Roubaix
- Lotto Cycling Team and Deschacht-Hens-FSP join forces
Race news:
- Germany wants to host the start of the 2030 Tour de France
Plus: Winspace Paris-Roubaix video.
Coffee EUROTRASH time.
TOP STORY: Bernard Hinault is Thrilled that Tadej Pogačar is Riding Paris-Roubaix: “Of Course He Can Win!”
Last Sunday, Tadej Pogačar won his second Tour of Flanders, next Sunday he will be going for his first victory in Paris-Roubaix. Bernard Hinault, who won the ‘Hell of the North’ in 1981, is thrilled that the Slovenian is making his debut. And the French cycling legend thinks that Pogačar can win his first Roubaix.
“It is fantastic news for cycling!”, said Hinault to Ouest France, when it was announced that Pogačar had added Paris-Roubaix to his programme. “It proves that he is the one who decides, not his team. It gives Paris-Roubaix extra cachet and creates a new duel with Mathieu van der Poel.”
The 70-year-old Breton is convinced that Pogačar can triumph in Paris-Roubaix in his first participation. “Of course he can win! He has the qualities to make it difficult for Van der Poel. I like Pogačar because he is not afraid of anything and loves the classics. I don’t understand people who say that you have to be heavy to win Paris-Roubaix. I wasn’t heavy either and I won. You just have to be agile with your bike to feel comfortable on the cobblestones.”
Hinault, who won Paris-Roubaix in the rainbow jersey, doesn’t see the participation of the World champion, Pogačar, on the Roubaix cobbles as a danger. “Is it risky to ride Paris-Roubaix? No. There is no more risk than in other races. He also fell in Strade Bianche, so he doesn’t see that as a real problem. As long as he wants to ride himself, Pogačar should come to have fun and make us happy.” In another interview, with Le Parisien, Hinault also revealed that he is a fan of Pogačar. “Pogačar is the closest to the riders that Eddy Merckx and I were,” said the Badger. “He attacks, both uphill and on the flat. He rides Grand Tours and Classics. That is why we love him. He is a rider who attacks and just says to himself: We will see what happens.”
Bernard Hinault won in 1981:
Itzulia Basque Country 2025
Maximilian Schachmann is the first leader of the Tour of the Basque Country. The German rider of Soudal Quick-Step had the fastest time in the time trial Stage 1 of 16.5 kilometres, although the difference between the top three was very narrow. João Almeida (UAE Emirates XRG) and Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) finished within a second.
The Tour of the Basque Country also started this year with an individual time trial. Last year it was a test against the clock of ten kilometres on uneven roads, now a relatively flat time trial of 16.5 kilometres. The course was northeast of Vitoria-Gasteiz, a well-known start and finish place in this stage race.
Despite the time trial being mostly flat, the organisers had managed to find some small climbs, where there were mountain points to be earned at the top of a climb (1km at 2.8%) to the village of Arzubiaga, at an altitude of 541 metres. After this climb, the route continued over slightly rolling and then flat roads to the finish. A lot of top riders started early, so soon there were some good finishing times. Ethan Hayter, who hasn’t started the season well for his new team Soudal Quick-Step, managed to put in a good time. His time of 18:43, at an average speed of 52.9 kilometres per hour, put him in the hot seat. It was his teammate, Maximilian Schachmann, a previous stage winner in the Basque Country, was 6 seconds faster at the finish. Ilan Van Wilder then managed a 1-2-3 for Soudal Quick-Step. The Belgian GC rider was 11 seconds slower than Schachmann, but was third at that point.
With his time of 18:37 seconds, Schachmann made a serious bid for the stage victory, as no one was getting close. Then Florian Lipowitz finished just 76 hundredths behind Schachmann after a very strong second part of his ride. The Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe rider did an excellent job with a view to the final overall. João Almeida (UAE Emirates XRG) looked to be on his way to the fastest time in the final metres, but Schachmann was safe, as the Portuguese rider was 54 hundredths sower, but he did a good ride for the final victory.
The only rider who could possibly cause an upset was last man off. Brandon McNulty can be a top TT rider on his day, but it wasn’t today. The UAE Emirates XRG rider had a bad day and at the finish he lost 30 seconds. Schachmann has had a few difficult years, partly due to injuries, but seems to be slowly coming back to his old level. In the run-up to the Tour of the Basque Country, he also showed promise in the Volta ao Algarve, where he was 5th in the final classification and Paris-Nice.
Stage winner and overall leader, Maximilian Schachmann (Soudal Quick-Step): “I’m overwhelmed! It’s an amazing feeling to win a World Tour race again, and especially a time trial. It was a hard, high-speed course, with not many sections to recover from the effort, so a short but spicy start, but I left it all out on the road and I’m happy with this success, my fourth in the Basque Country. The moment I returned to this team a couple of months ago, everybody gave me a warm welcome and a lot of confidence, which was extremely important. We worked hard during the winter with Specialized and Castelli, and all this has paid off. It’s great to take this win and to have three riders in the top ten. It’s a fantastic start for the team here and we’ll continue to do our best this week.”
2nd on the stage and overall, João Almeida (UAE Emirates XRG): “I am super happy for today, I think I did really good. There was nothing left [in the legs] at the finish line, so that’s good. It is just a pity it was so close to first place. Actually I even went a bit faster in the beginning than I wanted to. It is quite a short TT so you cannot really save much because it is super short. If you save in the start, you can never take that time back. I think I did this very well and I am happy with my feelings. It is a small effort, it is a good indicator but nothing special and also the other guys looked quite strong, so it is going to be a hard week. I think things are going good.”
7th on the stage and overall, Victor Campenaerts (Visma | Lease a Bike): “In retrospect, I think my start was a bit too optimistic. It was a course with a number of difficult sections. A fast start is of course necessary here to achieve a good result, but because of that I lost some power in the second part and I could accelerate less. It was not my best time trial of my career, but certainly not the worst either. On paper, tomorrow seems to be a good opportunity for Axel Zingle. In addition, Ben Tulett is in good shape with the victory of the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali in the pocket. Sepp Kuss is also always strong in the mountains. I would have liked to win the opening time trial here, but let’s start by saying that the team interest is the most important from now on. We hope to be able to compete for the stage victories in the coming days.”
9th on the stage and overall, Bruno Armirail (Soudal Quick-Step): “I came here aiming for a top 5 and I finished 9th, so I’m a bit disappointed. To win today, you had to ride really fast. The first part of the time trial went well, but the end was tougher, with a bit of wind. I also lost a bit of time in some corners. Even though I had checked out the course beforehand, I missed a few key spots to take perfect lines, especially in the sections against the flow of traffic where it wasn’t possible to ride before today. I thought I’d be stronger in this time trial, but there’s still a week of racing left to get a good result.”
Itzulia Basque Country Stage 1 Result:
1. Maximilian Schachmann (Ger) Soudal Quick-Step in 18:37
2. João Almeida (Por) UAE Emirates XRG
3. Florian Lipowitz (Ger) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe
4. Ethan Hayter (GB) Soudal Quick-Step at 0:06
5. Aleksander Vlasov (-) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:10
6. Ilan Van Wilder (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step at 0:11
7. Victor Campenaerts (Bel) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:12
8. Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Lidl-Trek at 0:12
9. Bruno Armirail (Fra) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale at 0:13
10. Michael Leonard (Can) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:15.
Itzulia Basque Country Overall After Stage 1:
1. Maximilian Schachmann (Ger) Soudal Quick-Step in 18:37
2. João Almeida (Por) UAE Emirates XRG
3. Florian Lipowitz (Ger) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:01
4. Ethan Hayter (GB) Soudal Quick-Step at 0:06
5. Aleksander Vlasov (-) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:10
6. Ilan Van Wilder (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step at 0:11
7. Victor Campenaerts (Bel) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:12
8. Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Lidl-Trek
9. Bruno Armirail (Fra) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale at 0:13
10. Michael Leonard (Can) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:16.
Itzulia’25 stage 1:
Caleb Ewan seems to be back. The Australian claimed his second victory of 2025 on Tuesday. The INEOS Grenadiers rider won Stage 2 of the Itzulia Basque Country. In a bunch sprint, he was too fast for Luca Van Boven (Intermarché-Wanty) and Bastien Tronchon (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale). The overall stayed the same.
The first road race stage was 186.6 kilometres and had almost 2,000 metres of climbing, but didn’t seem too hard. The riders started from Pamplona, the capital of the Spanish region of Navarra, which is the home of Spanish cycling hero and five-time Tour de France winner Miguel Induraín. There was only one categorised climb on the route. That was not the Alto de la Olivia (4.9km at 4.6%), which was not climbed for ‘safety reasons’, but the third-category climb of the San Martin de Unx. The change would probably have little effect on the race. This was followed by a large, but not too challenging loop of 62.1 kilometres, near the finish.
The day’s breakaway was not long in coming and consisted almost entirely of Spaniards. Xabier Isasa (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Diego Uriarte (Equipo Kern Parma), Sinuhé Fernández (Burgos Burpellet BH) and Julen Arriola-Bengoa (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) joined forces and were joined by Austrian Tobias Bayer of Alpecin-Deceuninck. The peloton loosened the reins and the difference increased to around three minutes. This also turned out to be the maximum advantage and so the escapees could already sense the proverbial storm coming. INEOS Grenadiers put themselves at the front of the peloton with full dedication, because the formation was eager to sprint for victory with new signing Caleb Ewan. The Australian – who was already successful in his first race for the British team, the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali – is on paper the fastest rider in this Tour of the Basque Country.
The leading group was given little time and were left out to dry by the peloton. Uriarte did have something to show for his day in the break. The Equipo Kern Pharma rider was the first to the top of the San Martin de Unx and became the wearer of the KOM jersey. With 20 kilometres to go, the differences were negligible and a regrouping seemed imminent. At that moment there was an acceleration in the peloton. Mauro Schmid lifted the pace on the uncategorised climb to Carcar and stretched the peloton out. This seemed to be the death for the escapees, but they then took advantage of a moment of calm in the peloton. The lead slowly increased again. With 5 kilometres to go, the peloton was still around 25 seconds down. Isasa threw all his cards on the table in the last 5 kilometres, rode away from his fellow escapees and made a bid for the stage win, but the finish was too far for the Euskaltel-Euskadi rider. Two kilometres from the finish, he was caught by the peloton, where Victor Campenaerts had crashed.
The peloton thundered on at high speed towards the last kilometre. Intermarché-Wanty took the lead for their sprinter Luca Van Boven. Ewan was on the wheel of the young Belgian and was by far the fastest in the last few hundred metres. The 30-year-old took his second victory of 2025, and the 65th professional win of his career. Van Boven was second, Bastien Tronchon came third. Maximilian Schachmann is still in the lead, although João Almeida and Florian Lipowitz are within a second.
Stage winner, Caleb Ewan (INEOS Grenadiers): “The team rode really great. We controlled the stage from the start and they were able to set me up well for the sprint. We knew we had to be at the front in the final. I was in fourth position in the last kilometre and in third position before the last corner. That was perfect. I was able to do my sprint. With wind, this would have been a very difficult stage. There were many open sections, but fortunately no echelons. The harder the stage, the harder it is for me. I am glad that today was quite straightforward.”
Overall leader, Maximilian Schachmann (Soudal Quick-Step): “It was a beautiful day in the yellow jersey. The final kilometres were a bit chaotic, but I was protected by my teammates and luckily, I wasn’t involved in that pile-up. On Wednesday we’ll take on some demanding hilly roads, there’s also that tough climb not far from the finish, so things will be completely different, but we are determined to do our best again.”
2nd on the stage, Luca Van Boven (Intermarché-Wanty): “We studied this finish and even though I’m not a pure sprinter, we wanted to take advantage of the technical final and my good condition to go for a result. Thanks to the fantastic work of Tom Paquot, I was perfectly led out and I was able to use my speed. In the last 250 meters I saw nobody coming and thought for a moment that I was sprinting towards the victory. But Caleb Ewan eventually passed me with much more speed in the last 50 meters. It’s of course a shame to finish so close to the win, but I’m very happy with this first podium in the professional ranks with Intermarché-Wanty.”
5th on the stage, Iúri Leitão (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA): “We had a well-planned plan, and the team was 100% focused on me all day. Thomas Silva was doing very well, pushing me forward on the right, but the madness that a finish like this always entails, combined with the crash at the end, meant I lost his wheel. It was a shame, as I had to overtake everyone on the left alone while he had a good position in front, which would have been a huge help in achieving an even better result. I had the legs to overtake a lot of people, and I think if I had gotten into the top three at the final corner, I could have been in contention.”
6th on the stage, Axel Zingle (Visma | Lease a Bike): “I am a bit disappointed. We had expected more from this final. I had set my sights on the win, although a podium finish would have been great. Positioning was the problem today. Sometimes you know what to do, but in a split second you make the wrong decision. It was a great opportunity, but unfortunately we were unable to seize it. There will be more opportunities this week. If our legs are good, the results will follow automatically. That is what we are all going for.”
Itzulia Basque Country Stage 2 Result:
1. Caleb Ewan (Aus) INEOS Grenadiers in 4:13:50
2. Luca Van Boven (Bel) Intermarché-Wanty
3. Bastien Tronchon (Fra) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale
4. Thibaud Gruel (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
5. Iúri Leitão (Por) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
6. Axel Zingle (Fra) Visma | Lease a Bike
7. Fabio Van Den Bossche (Bel) Alpecin-Deceuninck
8. Luc Wirtgen (Lux) Tudor
9. Jon Aberasturi Izaga (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi
10. Anders Foldager (Den) Jayco AlUla.
Itzulia Basque Country Overall After Stage 2:
1. Maximilian Schachmann (Ger) Soudal Quick-Step in 4:32:27
2. João Almeida (Por) UAE Emirates XRG
3. Florian Lipowitz (Ger) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:01
4. Ethan Hayter (GB) Soudal Quick-Step at 0:06
5. Aleksander Vlasov (-) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:10
6. Ilan Van Wilder (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step at 0:11
7. Victor Campenaerts (Bel) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:12
8. Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Lidl-Trek
9. Bruno Armirail (Fra) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale at 0:13
10. Michael Leonard (Can) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:16.
Itzulia’25 stage 2:
Alex Aranburu (Cofidis) crossed the finish line first, but it was Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ) who was given the win in an exciting Stage 3 of the Itzulia Basque Country. The race opened up early in the hilly stage to Beasain, but at the finish, the favourites fought for the win. Alex Aranburu took the win after a dubious attack in the final kilometres, after which the race jury disqualify the Spanish champion and the victory went to Romain Grégoire. Then two hours later, the win was given to Aranburu by the UCI.
Stage 3 on Wednesday was from Zarautz to Beasain over five third-category climbs and two second-category climbs. The stage profile ensured that many teams saw opportunities for a stage win and there were attacks all day. Rudy Molard, Pau Miquel, Tobias Bayer and Stefano Oldani all attacked early, but they managed to gain little to no advantage. In the next kilometres there were so many attempts to get away, Mathis Le Berre, Gerben Kuypers, Quinn Simmons and Mauro Schmid were amongst the riders who tried. The best attack came from Bruno Armirail and Mattéo Vercher, who were away for 15 kilometres.
With 77 kilometres to go, Sepp Kuss, Aleksandr Vlasov and Isaac del Toro attacked on the Mandubia (5.2km at 5.2%), but were caught shortly afterwards. This showed the eagerness in the peloton and there were many more attacks. Florian Lipowitz made a move, as well as Ben Healy and Santiago Buitrago. Harold Tejada and Brandon McNulty went on the attack, but they too were pulled back. Marc Soler, Rudy Molard and Clément Berthet took a 1 minute lead on the first group, which then split in the descent of the Gainza. Overall leader Schachmann was there, as were Vlasov and Lipowitz. Going towards the end of the stage the groups came together again, which was a relief for the GC riders who had missed the move, including Joao Almeida.
Of the three at the front, only Berthet held out. With a lead of 21 seconds he started the climb of the Lazkaomendi with 7 kilometres to go. The Frenchman tried bravely, but with 6.5 kilometres to go, he was caught by Schachmann and Lipowitz, who had a small lead over the other favourites: Almeida, Mattias Skjelmose, Steff Cras, Enric Mas, Alex Aranburu and Wilco Kelderman closed in again near the top, after which Almeida attacked. In the final kilometres, Almeida looked like he had the win, until Aranburu pasted him with two kilometres to go. The Spanish champion took a roundabout in a dubious manner and won the stage ahead of Romain Grégoire and overall leader Schachmann, who held his yellow jersey. After the race, the race jury decided to award the victory to Grégoire, which the UCI eventually reversed.
In the end, Alex Aranburu did win the third stage after all. The UCI overturned the race jury’s decision, they believe that Aranburu took the right route on his way to his stage victory. Aranburu took the round-about on the right with one and a half kilometres to go, while the signallers and road signs pointed to the left. The jury decided to downgrade the Basque because he ‘deviated from the route, which gave him an unfair advantage’. The UCI Board of Commissaires disagrees. The route book indicated that the round-about had to be turned right, the UUCI believes that Aranburu took the right route. Also they think that Aranburu’s lead only increased after the round-about and the organisers have admitted to the UCI that a mistake was made with the road signs. The UCI declared that Aranburu was the winner, more than two hours after the finish.
2nd on the stage, Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ): “I’m standing here with a bit of a strange feeling. But I think the riders should know the course. We passed this part of the course three times today. Still, I’m happy, because last year I was second here and before that fifth. I really wanted to win here once and this year I succeeded (he said before the UCI decision). I didn’t really notice that Aranburu took the wrong corner. If I win here, it doesn’t feel like a victory to me. Other than that, I don’t really have anything to say about it…”
3rd on the stage and overall leader, Maximilian Schachmann (Soudal Quick-Step): “Today it was crazy out there, it felt like we were on the final stage and everybody was just leaving everything on the road. We had full gas racing from start to finish and at one point I suffered due to the heat, but I got two bottles of cold water from the team car and recovered a bit. In the valley before the last ascent, I went for it and made a selection. I felt good on the final climb and in the final, I still had enough to sprint and keep yellow. It was a hard day, but I am satisfied with how things went.”
4th on the stage and 3rd overall, João Almeida (UAE Emirates XRG): “It was a crazy day, I was feeling good. In the end, I did a little mistake on the corner but it is what it is. We wanted to do a hard day and all the team was really good, especially in the final to close the gap to the leader’s group. We did a really good job and we can be proud of ourselves for this. The guys are looking strong.”
Itzulia Basque Country Stage 3 Result:
1. Alex Aranburu Deba (Spa) Cofidis in 3:45:21
2. Romain Gregoire (Fra) Groupama-FDJ at 0:03
3. Maximilian Schachmann (Ger) Soudal Quick-Step
4. João Almeida (Por) UAE Emirates XRG
5. Enric Mas Nicolau (Spa) Movistar
6. Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Lidl-Trek
7. Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike
8. Florian Lipowitz (Ger) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe
9. Steff Cras (Bel) TotalEnergies
10. Ilan Van Wilder (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step.
Itzulia Basque Country Overall After Stage 3:
1. Maximilian Schachmann (Ger) Soudal Quick-Step in 8:17:45
2. Florian Lipowitz (Ger) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:04
3. João Almeida (Por) UAE Emirates XRG
4. Ilan Van Wilder (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step at 0:15
5. Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Lidl-Trek at 0:16
6. Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:37
7. Romain Gregoire (Fra) Groupama-FDJ at 0:40
8. Steff Cras (Bel) TotalEnergies at 0:46
9. Alex Aranburu Deba (Spa) Cofidis at 1:03
10. Enric Mas Nicolau (Spa) Movistar at 1:14.
Itzulia’25 stage 3:
Scheldeprijs 2025
Tim Merlier won the 2025 Scheldeprijs with a strong final sprint. After a 205 kilometre race, starting in Terneuzen, the European champion of Soudal Quick-Step was the fastest at the finish in Schoten, sprinting against Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck). Third place went to Matteo Moschetti (Q36.5). This was Merlier’s second victory in a row in the Antwerp sprint Classic.
After the start in Terneuzen, echelons were not long in coming. The Westerscheldetunnel was on the route and the Zeeland area is always windy. The riders passed Heinkenszand, Biezelinge, Schore, Kruiningen, Oostdijk and Krabbendijke, as well as Hoogerheide, to cross the border at Essen. Upon entering Antwerp, there were three circuits of 16.9 kilometres around Schoten and the traditional finish.
The first ‘break of the day’ was of 8 riders: Baptiste Veistroffer (Lotto), Yentl Vandevelde & Alex Colman (Flanders-Baloise), Abram Stockman (Unibet Tietema Rockets), Ceriel Desal & Jelle Vermoote (Wagner Bazin WB), Bram Dissel and Lars Loohuis (BEAT). They gained a lead of more than 3 minutes. Because of the wind, the peloton split several times. This caused some nervousness and the lead also shrunk. Four riders managed to escape due to the wind and chaos. They were Veistroffer, Tuur Dens (Flanders-Baloise), Desal and Tijmen Eising (BEAT), but they didn’t get a very big lead.
In the peloton it was Soudal Quick-Step that controlled the race, with Lidl-Trek and Lotto also at the front. These teams focused on Tim Merlier, Edward Theuns and Elia Viviani. The lead fluctuated for a long time between 1 and 1:30. On the penultimate lao, the pace increased considerably, causing Dens and later Eising to be dropped from the break. Desal and Veistroffer held on the longest. At the start of the final lap Desal made a desperate attempt to stay out of the hands of the peloton, but he was caught 10 kilometres before the finish. Just before that there was a big crash that held up half the peloton. It happened at the front, Warre Vangheluwe looked back and didn’t see a Lidl-Trek rider move to the left. Many riders were and involved, but the top favourites were able to continue. A considerably thinned out peloton pushed on to the finish, it included Merlier, Theuns, Jasper Philipsen and Dylan Groenewegen. Lidl-Trek took control in the final kilometres, but with 1K to go Philipsen and Merlier were brought forward. Merlier chose Philipsen’s lead-out train. Philipsen started his sprint at 250 metres, but Merlier came off his wheel and blasted to victory.
Race winner, Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step): “I am happy with this win, because Scheldeprijs was one of my goals this spring, and to take the victory again in front of my family feels special. The team did a great job today, chasing down the breakaway and keeping me protected. I didn’t know there was a crash in the final kilometres, but later I heard about it on the radio. Then, in the closing kilometre, Bert did a strong lead-out and made a sign with his arm so I could find a good spot. I found a space, wasn’t boxed out and could do my sprint just as I wanted. I am glad I could repay the guys with this victory, it’s something that gives us a lot of confidence for Sunday.”
2nd, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck): “I was able to ride the sprint I had in me. I’m happy about that, but Tim was clearly the fastest today. Then I have to make peace with that. The wind was not strong enough to make it a tough race. A sprint after a tough race might have been a little better for me. We really mainly worked towards those tougher races, so it was already since the UAE Tour that I had ridden a real sprinter’s race. There are days when things are going well, but also days less. I didn’t feel good in training last week, and I also suffered from headaches. I went quite hard on my face and that crash. In the sense that I have suffered a small whiplash around the neck muscles, which radiates to the head. Nothing insurmountable in itself, but also anything but comfortable. Fortunately, the osteopath’s treatment helps me well.”
Scheldeprijs Result:
1. Tim Merlier (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step in 4:13:15
2. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Deceuninck
3. Matteo Moschetti (Ita) Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team
4. Milan Fretin (Bel) Cofidis
5. Jason Tesson (Fra) TotalEnergies
6. Stanislaw Aniolkowski (Pol) Cofidis
7. Max Kanter (Ger) XDS Astana
8. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Uno-X Mobility
9. Pavel Bittner (CZ) Team Picnic PostNL
10. Sasha Weemaes (Bel) Wagner Bazin WB.
Scheldeprijs’25:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2jYE7AbURQ
Scheldeprijs – Women 2025
The women’s Scheldeprijs was won by Elisa Balsamo on Wednesday afternoon. The Lidl-Trek rider narrowly beat Charlotte Kool (Team Picnic PostNL) in Schoten. Chiara Consonni (Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto) was third.
On Wednesday there was the fifth Scheldeprijs for women. A bunch sprint was expected, as the four previous editions were all won by Lorena Wiebes in a sprint. Without Wiebes at the start this year, it was still a matter of waiting to see how the race would unfold.
In the opening hours, there was an attack by Amelia Tyler and Allison Mrugal, who were out front for a long time with a lead of several minutes on the peloton. Towards the final, the Irish and American riders were joined by eight others who had escaped from the peloton 24 kilometres from the finish. Among them were a number of big names, including Zoe Bäckstedt, Saray Roy, Anna Henderson, Scarlett Souren, Julie De Wilde, Femke Gerritse and Marie Schreiber.
With a lead of around 18 seconds, the ten started the final kilometres of the race. The battle between the peloton and the leading group remained exciting for a long time, but with 2 kilometres to go it was clear that there was going to be a bunch sprint in Schoten. The Lidl-Trek train put sprinter Balsamo in the best position for the last few hundred metres, but it was Kool who started the sprint. With a strong final sprint, Balsamo passed Kool in the final metres.
Race winner, Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek): “It was tough for me that I had missed out so often this season. The podium is always nice, but it gives me that wonderful winning feeling. A victory is extra important. Yes, but with my victory here we are already taking a step in the right direction. You are always motivated for Paris-Roubaix, but now I am really looking forward to Saturday. Most top riders ignore the Scheldeprijs, but we consciously chose this route. We obviously cannot ride everything in this busy period, but I am happy to participate in a sprint race like this. How am I going to beat Kopecky on Saturday? As I have often said in recent weeks, the Lidl-Trek team is our strength. We have shown that we are a strong team in depth, and we were also very strong in Paris-Roubaix last year. We also have good equipment. As a team we can beat Kopecky, but of course it will not be easy. I don’t think I made a big mistake (in Roubaix’24), but I did lose my sprint from a bit too far. After such a tough classic, that was a bit too much of a good thing, although my track experience should have given me an advantage. Every sprint and every race is different, but I try to learn from my mistakes after every race. We have two team DS’s in the women’s team (Jeroen Blijlevens and Ina-Yoko Teutenberg) and they are both former top sprinters. That helps me enormously. Especially Jeroen, who comes from the Flemish-Dutch regions and knows these races like the back of his hand. It is great fun to look back and analyse my own sprints with him. We have worked very hard on our lead outs anyway, and we have made good progress in the last races. In the Classic Brugge-De Panne it was only my fault that I didn’t win, I wasn’t strong enough then. Maybe that collaboration wasn’t very easy in the beginning, you have to get to know each other and find a good balance. But now we are getting there.”
3rd, Chiara Consonni (Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto): “The race was really good – there was no wind and the weather was great, so it was nice to race. I think we raced really well all together. We tried to go on the attack with Zoe in the last couple of sectors to try out a different plan. Then we caught the breakaway in the last 2km. I tried to do my sprint and maybe I was a bit too late, but in the end I’m really happy with the podium. In the sprint you have to follow your instinct, and sometimes it’s not correct. But I was in the best position, on Elisa’s wheel. I just waited too long to start my sprint, but third place is good and I’m feeling really ready for Saturday.”
Scheldeprijs – Women Result:
1. Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Lidl-Trek in 3:11:25
2. Charlotte Kool (Ned) Team Picnic PostNL
3. Chiara Consonni (Ita) Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto
4. Barbara Guarischi (Ita) SD Worx-Protime
5. Kathrin Schweinberger (Aust) Human Powered Health
6. Silvia Zanardi (Ita) Human Powered Health
7. Georgia Baker (Aus) Liv AlUla Jayco
8. Marith Vanhove (Bel) AG Insurance-Soudal U23
9. Amalie Dideriksen (Den) Cofidis
10. Lucie Fityus (Aus) St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93.
Scheldeprijs’25:
“We are waiting for you”: Tadej Pogačar Booed for Arriving Late at Tennis Tournament
A day after his victory in the Tour of Flanders, Tadej Pogačar enjoyed a well-deserved rest day in his hometown of Monaco. Together with his girlfriend Urška Žigart, he went to the ATP tennis tournament in Monte Carlo, where Yunchaokete Bu and Lorenzo Musetti were playing. The two cyclists arrived late, which was not appreciated.
Pogačar and Žigart walked down the stairs, looking for their seats, while the match was already in progress. The umpire was less than pleased: “Please sit down quickly, we are waiting for you,” she said sternly. The audience then started whistling and Musetti looked impatiently at Pogačar.
Elisa Longo Borghini Suffered from Concussion in her Flanders Crash
It is unsure whether Elisa Longo Borghini will be able to race again this spring. The Italian started the Tour of Flanders as one of the top favourites on Sunday, but crashed early and was forced to abandon. Longo Borghini suffered a concussion in her crash.
Longo Borghini, due to her victory in Dwars door Vlaanderen, was a favourite at the start in De Ronde, but was involved in a serious crash fell before the final. Puck Pieterse and Lorena Wiebes were also involved in the crash, but were able to continue. Longo Borghini tried ride on, but was quickly taken out of the race by her team.
“Elisa tried to continue for a while, but was taken out of the race by the team after she had shown confused signals, after a heavy blow to her head,” her UAE Team ADQ team wrote in a press release. The Italian champion was then taken to the hospital in Oudenaarde, where a scan revealed a concussion. There were no signs of internal bleeding, but the 33-year-old rider had to spend a night in the University Hospital in Gent for observation.
“Additional tests will follow in the next 24 hours to be able to make a more detailed diagnosis,” the team added. It is unclear whether Longo Borghini will race again this spring in Paris-Roubaix, the Amstel Gold Race, Flèche Wallonne Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
Longo Borghini at the start of the Tour of Flanders:
Former Pro, Yoann Offredo May Go Blind Within Two Years
The former cyclist, Yoann Offredo, announced in an interview with the French newspaper L’Équipe on Tuesday that he is suffering from a serious eye disease, which is causing him to lose his sight. The Frenchman might go blind within two years.
In May 2024, Offredo was told that he probably suffers from ocular sarcoidosis. This is a rare form of sarcoidosis or Besnier-Boeck disease: a rare disorder of the immune system. Sarcoidosis can affect almost all organs and tissues of the body.
“One day I had a white spot in front of my eyes. I found an ophthalmologist and he said: it’s not good. They then sent me to the emergency room. They pricked my eye, that was intense. I ended up having to stay there for almost five weeks.” Despite various treatments, things went from bad to worse for Offredo. His eyesight ‘suddenly deteriorated’. “We switched to intravenous corticosteroids to stop the inflammation. Then there was another heavy treatment, but my vision kept getting worse. Every time I trusted the doctors completely. You get there and think: well, it’s okay. I can still see more or less. And then they look at the other eye: oh shit, that’s also affected. So I’m now going through life handicapped. The doctor has indicated that I might be blind in two years. I’m not yet at the stage where I can accept this.”
Offredo was a professional cyclist from 2008 to 2020. The Frenchman rode for FDJ (2008-2016) and Wanty-Groupe Gobert (2017-2020) during his career and was a good classics rider. He finished seventh in Milan-Sanremo and had several top 20 placings in the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. A stage in the Tour de Picardie was his only professional victory.
Bad news for Yoann Offredo:
Remco Evenepoel Rides an Extra Race in the Run-up to the Tour de France
Remco Evenepoel will ride the Belgian time trial championship this year, if everything goes according to plan. According to Het Laatste Nieuws. The title race fits in with his preparation for the Tour de France.
The best time trialists in Belgium will compete for the Belgian title in Brasschaat on Friday 27 June. It is expected that the route will be fast and not too technical. Evenepoel has already participated in the Belgian time trial championships four times in his career. He won a bronze medal on his debut in 2019, two years later he won silver and in 2022 he won the Belgian title in Gavere. Two years ago he was fourth in Herzele, but he had crashed. Last year he didn’t start.
Evenepoel is currently on an altitude training camp in the Sierra Nevada with the Soudal Quick-Step Giro team. The 25-year-old rider is preparing for his return to the peloton in the south of Spain. Evenepoel’s return is scheduled for 18 April, where he will ride the Brabantse Pijl, which has been moved to the Friday before the Amstel Gold Race this year.
Evenepoel will also take part in the Dutch Classic in South Limburg, after which he will ride Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. He will conclude his first block with the Tour de Romandie. After that, he will prepare for the Tour de France with the Critérium du Dauphiné and the Belgian Championship time trial and road race.
Evenepoel to ride the Belgian TT champs:
Chris Froome and Urska Zigart ‘Terrorised’ by Aggressive Driver: “Time for Her to Pay the Price”
Chris Froome escaped unscathed last week during a training ride from his home in Monaco. A female driver tried to hit him several times, the four-time Tour de France winner wrote on his Instagram page. According to Froome, Urška Žigart, AG Insurance-Soudal rider and the girlfriend of Tadej Pogačar, had previously been targeted by the same woman.
Froome posted a photo of the woman’s car on Instagram. “This woman tried to hit me several times when I tried to pass her. Apparently cyclists are not allowed to pass cars. Who knew?”, Froome wrote with the image.
A sticker from the Arnault Tzanck Institute, a medical centre in Saint-Laurent-du-Var, just outside Nice, is on the back of the white car. Froome concluded that the woman worked in healthcare. “She works in a hospital! Is she trying to get more patients?” he fumed.
The 39-year-old Israel-Premier Tech rider then pointed out that he was not the only victim of the driver in question. “The same woman terrorised Urska Zigart, and I doubt we are the only ones in the area who have had these problems. It is time for her to pay the price.”
Froome hasn’t raced much this year. He took part in the UAE Tour in February, but crashed hard on stage 7 and broke his collarbone. He is expected to make his comeback in the Tour of the Alps. At the end of last year, the Briton announced that he hopes to take part in the Tour de France again in 2025. The last time he started La Grande Boucle was in 2022.
The accused:
Degenkolb Injured in the Tour of Flanders
Team Picnic PostNL had many injuries in the Tour of Flanders. The team saw Enzo Leijnse, Timo Roosen, Tim Naberman, John Degenkolb and Alex Edmondson abandon, the last three riders had serious injuries.
Naberman, Edmondson and Degenkolb were all injured in the crash 126 kilometres from the finish and then abandoned. In the hospital it later turned out that Degenkolb had broken his collarbone, elbow and wrist. Naberman also broke his wrist, while Edmondson sprained his ankle.
It is expected that the German will be out of action the longest of all the riders. “John will undergo surgery on his wrist, followed by a period of recovery. Expectations about his comeback can often change, but we expect him to be out of action for two months,” said team doctor Camiel Eldershof. “At the moment Tim doesn’t need surgery but we will do another check next week to see if the situation changes but obviously he won’t be racing while he recovers. Alex will rest his ankle and we will see how it develops in the coming weeks.”
Degenkolb out for months:
Former Cofidis Pro Dies During Tour of Flanders Gran Fondo
‘We Ride Flanders’, the Grand Fondo of the Tour of Flanders, was shocked by the death of two participants. One of them turned out to be former pro Stéphane Krafft. The Frenchman, who was 45 years old, rode for Cofidis as a Stagiaire at the end of 1999 and as a full pro for 2000 and 2001.
Krafft joined Cofidis in September of 1999. He then stayed with the French team for two more seasons, racing along side Frank Vandenbroucke and Nico Mattan. Krafft’s best results were before he turned pro. In the spring of 1999 he was second in the U23 Paris-Roubaix and later that year he finished third in a stage of the Tour de l’Avenir.
The Cofidis team announced the death of Krafft on social media. “It is with great sadness that the team learned of the passing of one of our former riders, Stéphane Krafft, who wore the Cofidis colours in 2000 and 2001. We offer our sincere condolences to his family and friends.”
Reposez en paix, Stéphane Krafft:
UAE Team Emirates-XRG squad announced for Paris-Roubaix
Pogačar makes debut at the ‘Hell of the North’
After a hugely successful start to the year for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, the team slowly makes the transition from the Flanders Classics to the Ardennes in Belgium with a brief but important stop in France for the legendary Paris-Roubaix on Sunday (April 13).
With 24 victories on the board already this season, the team are on a roll with the latest of those wins coming last weekend at the Tour of Flanders through the flying World Champion, Tadej Pogačar.
Pogačar will make his long-awaited debut on the gruelling 260km course from Compiegne to the velodrome in Roubaix and will go into the race as one of the firm favourites given his victory last weekend in Flanders.
The Slovenian will be supported this weekend by an ensemble cast of talent, including two former podium finishers at Paris-Roubaix through Florian Vermeersch (2nd, 2021) and Nils Politt (2nd, 2019)
Pogačar: “Paris-Roubaix is a completely different race, it’s new territory, but I fully accept the challenge. I’ll try to do my best. We have a very strong team for this race, with guys who have lots of experience and we can use this to our advantage. It will be a very hard race but I think with the shape I have now that this is the right moment to give it a try at least. We had a great battle last weekend at Flanders and I hope we can put on a good show again this Sunday.”
Sports Directors Fabio Baldato (Ita) and Marco Marcato (Ita) will take charge for the race.
Paris-Roubaix [1.UWT] – 13-Apr-2025
Mikkel Bjerg (Den)
Sebastian Molano (Col)
Antonio Morgado (Por)
Tadej Pogačar (Slo)
Nils Politt (Ger)
Florian Vermeersch (Bel)
Tim Wellens (Bel).
Lotto Cycling Team and Deschacht-Hens-FSP join forces
Lotto Cycling Team is proud to announce a new partnership with Deschacht-Hens-FSP. With this step, both teams strengthen their position within Belgian cycling and together lay the foundations for a sustainable structure in cyclocross.
The collaboration is a logical step in the continued growth of Lotto Cycling Team. Cyclocross remains a hotbed for young cycling talent, and this partnership offers a unique opportunity to guide and develop that talent in a more targeted way.
The collaboration aims to create a clear synergy between road and cyclocross. For the current riders of Deschacht-Hens-FSP – including Toon Aerts and Victor Van de Putte – this opens the door to a more attractive road programme at a higher level. At the same time, Lotto Cycling Team riders who are also present in cyclocross, such as Sterre Vervloet and Ilken Seynave, will have the opportunity to develop themselves further in cyclocross.
Kurt Van de Wouwer, Sports Manager of Lotto Cycling Team: “This collaboration aligns perfectly with our vision of developing and supporting talent. We strongly believe in the synergy between road and cyclocross racing, and we’re confident that this partnership will create more opportunities for our riders.”
Bart Verschueren, Sports Manager of Deschacht-Hens-FSP: “What makes this collaboration especially valuable for us is that it opens up an entirely new playing field for our riders. It’s a partnership where we strengthen each other and combine our expertise to approach talent development in a more focused and professional way. By working together more intensively, we can offer young riders greater opportunities to grow and provide them with a broader pathway in both cyclocross and road racing.”
With this strategic joining of forces, both teams hope to not only achieve sporting successes, but also give a strong boost to the future of Belgian cycling.
Germany Wants to Host the Start of the Tour de France 2030
The Tour de France might start in Germany in five years. The newly founded organisation Grand Depart Allemagne has started a project to bring the Tour to the eastern part of the country.
“It has to be a ‘Big Bang’ for the region,” Het Nieuwsblad quotes Rudolf Scharping, the chairman of the German Cycling Federation. Scharping unveiled the ambitious plans at a press conference in Leipzig on Tuesday. It is up to the organisation Grand Depart Allemagne to further develop the project. The idea is to have the first stage, with the forty-year reunification of West and East Germany in mind, take place between Dresden and Gera. Part of the route would then take place on the course of the then Peace Race, which was partly held in East Germany. Stage two would then be a time trial between Halle and Leipzig and the third and final stage would go from Erfurt to Magdeburg.
There is a serious price tag attached to organising a Grand Depart in Germany: it would involve an investment of 20 million euros. However, 150 to 200 million euros in income from tourism is expected. According to those responsible, taxpayers will not notice anything from the investment of 20 million euros, because companies and sponsors will finance it.
Football club RB Leipzig is also being considered. The Bundesliga club has a very wealthy main sponsor in Red Bull, but the energy drink manufacturer is also an important player in the race as the main financial backer of the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe team.
The first talks with Tour organisation ASO are planned for the summer. The Tour de France has already started in Germany four times. In 1965 the Tour de France started from Cologne, in 1980 Frankfurt had the honour, in 1987 West Berlin was responsible for Le Grand Départ and in 2017 it was Düsseldorf’s turn.
The Tour in Berlin 1987:
Winspace Report – Paris-Roubaix Video
With the Hell of the North just around the corner, Jenaya Francis, Marie-Morgane Le Deunff, Kiara Lylyk, Aurela Nerlo and Constance Valentin spotted the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix at the end of March. The French Cyclard followed them, resulting in a 5’36” minute report entitled “Not afraid of the cobbles – Paris-Roubaix, here we come”.
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